Welcome to the Storytime at Home series! Every other week, we share a list of book options tied to a kid-approved theme, a craft you can set up to go along with the theme, songs/rhymes you can do during storytime, and additional enrichment activities. All books are available at Richmond Public Library, and crafts will involve items you likely have at home already! Our hope is that we can make it easy for you to share stories with your little ones and create a little bit of library magic at home. 

P.S. Love library storytimes? Take a look at all in-library storytime options here. There is a storytime for your child every morning at our various branches!

Okay, now to the fun stuff…

Today’s storytime theme is GENEROSITY AND GRATITUDE!

The end of the year brings a time of giving. Giving thanks, giving to others. These are lofty topics that can feel overwhelming to introduce to kids, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. We can help young readers learn about generosity, kindness, and gratitude by modeling these things in our daily lives. Get caught being kind or saying thank you; go out of your way to help someone in need; take your kids with you as you give your time or resources to help others. Stories are another great way to introduce these concepts to children, and November – the month of thankfulness – is a great time to start. Little ones are capable of understanding complex topics and, moreover, sometimes crave such knowledge about the people and world around them. It is cool to be kind – and we have the stories to prove it! The library has some wonderful books about generosity and gratitude and we’ve included some of our favorites below. When you visit, you can also search in our catalog or ask a librarian to help you find the perfect book for you and your child.

Books

Reading to your kiddos turns them into confident thinkers. Making books a regular part of your daily routine is a great way to build children’s love of reading and learning. Storytimes also help build excitement around reading to support their literacy development. 

Here are a few book options you can choose from for your themed storytime.

Preschool

• The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl Auyeung
• Books on Bikes by Isabel Campoy
• Apple Cake by Dawn Casey
• The Helping Sweater by Rachel Mas Davidson
• Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
• Thank You, Everything by Icinori
• Gather Grateful by Megan Litwin
• One Light by Christie Matheson
• A Small Kindness by Stacy McAnulty
• Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
• Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O’Neill
• A Hat for House by Audrey Perrott
• When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith
• Just Help! How to Build a Better World by Sonia Sotomayor
• Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

Toddler/Baby

• Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer
• Thanks from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Maisy’s Big Book of Kindness by Lucy Cousins
• The Thank You Book by Mary Lyn Ray
• Plant A Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• We Share This Earth by Dan Saks

There are many ways to make reading fun and engaging for your little one!

Songs and Rhymes

We love adding songs and rhymes to our storytimes. This is a great way to practice language with your child and support their physical (motor) development through movement. 

Here are two songs and rhymes you can use for this themed storytime.

Arts and Crafts

Adding a craft along with a book is a great way to continue allowing your child to learn, explore, and grow. Crafts are a nice supplement as they encourage motor development, creativity, self-confidence, and more. 

In fact, art and craft activities:

• Build fine motor skills. Actions such as painting, coloring, gluing, and cutting develop small muscles in small hands and improve coordination skills as children learn to use both hands at the same time. 
• Support early literacy. When children make art, they learn vocabulary and how to follow directions when getting verbal instructions from parents and caregivers. They also boost their communication skills via talking about their work!
• Teach early math concepts. Math skills are used frequently in arts and crafts. Kids learn about and recognize different shapes, count and sort art supplies, and even measure out materials. 
• Encourage creativity. Art helps develop creativity, self-expression, problem-solving, and curiosity. 
• Boost self-esteem. Doing arts and crafts can give children a sense of achievement and allow them to take pride in their work, which builds confidence. 
• Offer bonding time. Kids love spending quality time with parents and caregivers, and arts and crafts are a great opportunity for this.

Here is a craft activity you can do along with the generosity and gratitude theme. 

Thankful Turkey Craft

Additional Enrichment Ideas

The fun doesn’t have to end at books, songs, and a craft. There are many ways to enrich a storytime with additional activities and lessons. Here are a few ideas for you and your child: 

• Practice generosity together. Bring food to a local food bank or Little Free Pantry. Donate toys or clothes to a shelter. Pick up trash at your favorite park. Host a lemonade stand and donate the profits to an animal shelter. Bake cookies for a friend. Spend time saying “good morning” to people you pass in the store, etc.
• Practice gratitude together. Share one thing you’re grateful for at meal times. Talk about one good thing from your day at bedtime. Infuse your daily routines with gratitude (e.g. “I’m so thankful I get to read this book with you.” or “I’m grateful I’m your mom.”). Point our other people’s kindness (e.g. “That was so kind of them to share that toy.”). Send thank you notes to people.

We share these Storytime at Home posts each month, so be sure to check back soon for more. You can also search “#storytimeathome” to see all past posts.

Have a suggestion for the next theme we cover? Email Sarah at sarah.fenninger@rva.gov and let us know!